Two Years Ago Today

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 2 Comments

I held Noah for the very first time. 

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He was very very sick, but it was the most amazing moment ever.  Not that holding Zo wasn’t great, but there was something about holding our very first child after everything we had been to to have a child that was so very special and indescribable.  He has come a long way from that little boy who was only 10.5 lbs and sick.

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Here he was last August marking our 1 year as a family…


Here Noah is today marking our 2 years as a family.

The past two years have been the most amazing two years of my life.  I had no idea that amount of joy one little person could bring to my life.  It certainly isn’t all sunshine and roses, but it is all amazing and the love I have for him grows with each smile and each “Love ya mommom”. 

Two years ago was also a very bittersweet and sad day–we had to take Noah back to the hospital.  To let him go after waiting so long was unbearably difficult and a little piece of my heart went with him and was bound to him in a deep and meaningful way.  That connection has gotten stronger each passing day.  Adoption is an amazing gift and on this day I honor M.A.–Noah’s birth mom for her strength and courage to give her son to us.  It is the most selfless thing a woman can do when she feels incapable of raising and giving her child the life and love a child needs.  I have the utmost respect for all birth moms and I hope M.A. can feel in her heart the amazing little boy that makes this world a better place.

Need Food Ideas

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 2 Comments

Okay so you would think that I would know what to feed a baby–but Noah was hard or easy you could say.  Zoë is hard because she is a bit picky and seems to prefer a variety of foods, whereas Noah could eat the same thing all day long. 

Zoë wants lots of different things and she likes to graze–eat about every hour.  I know she’d sleep through the night (or would wake up less) if she was eating more solid food.  Please Internets give me some great self-feeding baby food.  She insists on feeding herself the majority of the time.  She’ll let me feed her yogurt and cottage cheese, but everything else she must do herself.

I need some ideas.  HELP

Underway

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / Leave a comment

I had a meeting yesterday with my Doctoral Advisory Committee.  I was torn between the EdD and the PhD.  The EdD is more based in practice and the PhD in research.  We talked a long time about what I “want to be when I grow up” and because my end goal is college professor we have decided that I should pursue the PhD.  I am really happy about the decision as the PhD is more widely accepted and recognized.  This decision means 3 more classes that I have to take and two of them are statistical/research method courses.  I am not looking forward to it, but I am happy about deciding to take that on.  My projected end date is now May of 2014–I know that seems impossibly far away. 

I can’t believe it.  Class starts tonight and I am now on my way.  It’s hard to believe that there really is an end in sight.  Just about the time Zo will be ready to start first grade I should be done and be ready to go back to work too.  Yay!!!

I’m A Quitter….

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 6 Comments

So, the past couple of weeks have been pure hell.  Since Noah was coerced into giving up his binky.  He doesn’t ask for it during the day and is pretty happy–but bed and nap times have so completely and totally sucked ass.  It has been pure torture.  Turns out Zoë is a better sleeper than Noah–she sleeps from 7:30-7:30 usually only waking up at 11:30 and between 2:30 adn 3:30. 

Today,  I had had enough of nearly 2 hours of total hysterics while we try and put him down for a nap–often the same thing happens at night time–although he has gotten better.  He is sound asleep with his binky.  We’ll try to get rid of it at sleep times somewhere down the road.  Just not right now.

 Sorry Dr. Dan.  He’ll just get braces like other kids….

Busy Day

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 4 Comments

Hubby had an endoscopy today–no ulcer. YAY!!!!!!!!!!  Been working on doctoral paperwork for two or so hours for my meeting with my advisory committee tomorrow.  Tired and so very much want to finish the fourth book in The Twilight Series.   

Hubby giving me the evil eye–which means it is time to turn off the computer.  I think part of me is slowly dying inside. 

Later….